Pink Saris

Though the title of ace Brit documentarian Longinotto’s latest refers to a marauding sisterhood of lower caste Indian women who don these brightly coloured garments as a symbol of empowerment and independence, this harrowing film is actually about the sterling efforts of a single enforcer (Sampat Pal Devi) to ameliorate the lives of abused women and girls too afraid to speak up about their ill-treatment. Devi is a ball-busting force of nature, trampling on outmoded stricture and tradition to hammer-home her progressive agenda onto a society living in the shadow of violent male chauvinism. A little episodic and rambling to be called vintage Longinotto, but still another angry and articulate addition to a singular body of work.